Everyone froze.
The courtyard was silent. Even the wind stopped moving. Every disciple, elder, and servant of the Han Family stared at Wei Ji like they were seeing a ghost step out from a dream.
"C-cultivator?" someone finally whispered. "Did he say… cultivator?"
"No… impossible," another muttered. "Young Master Han Ji was tested years ago in the Forest Dragon Kingdom. They said he had no spiritual root! Even the royal court witnessed it!"
"How could he—how could he control vines with that kind of power?"
One of the elders clutched his chest in disbelief. "That… that's impossible! No one without a spiritual root can even sense Qi, much less control it!"
The murmurs spread like wildfire. Some disciples stepped back, trembling. Others leaned forward, eyes wide, trying to see if what they saw was real. The Red Sand Sect disciples looked equally confused and horrified.
Wei Ji didn't move. He stood quietly, his calm eyes looking down at the Red Sand Sect leader, whose legs were still tightly bound by the green vines. The leader's face twisted with anger and humiliation.
"You dare…" the leader growled. "You dare use tricks before an immortal cultivator?"
Wei Ji didn't answer.
The leader's fury exploded. "You—junior! You meet the Fourth Stage Qi Infusion? How bold!" His voice echoed, filled with pride. "I am a Qi Condensation cultivator! You think your petty tricks can bind me?"
The air shook as his aura burst forth. Golden-red spiritual light flared around his body, forming waves that made even the nearby disciples stumble back. The elders shielded their eyes.
But then… something strange happened.
The glow began to dim.
The leader's proud grin froze on his face.
"What… what is this?" His voice cracked.
He looked down at his legs, and his expression changed from arrogance to horror.
The vines were drinking his aura. The spiritual light around him was fading, being sucked away into the twisting green roots that held him.
"I—impossible! You—what have you done to me?!"
Wei Ji smirked faintly. "So that's your real color."
The leader screamed as his Qi drained faster. His aura collapsed in seconds, and his body dropped heavily to the ground with a thud.
The earth cracked slightly beneath him. He tried to rise, but his limbs trembled violently.
Wei Ji's fingers moved again. Another hand seal. The vines reacted instantly, swirling like serpents, wrapping around the Red Sand Sect leader's body.
"What is he doing?!" a disciple gasped.
"Stop! You can't—!" another shouted.
But Wei Ji ignored them. The vines spun, lifting the man several feet into the air before slamming him down. Boom! The shockwave sent dust flying everywhere.
Gasps erupted around the courtyard.
"What strength…!"
"He just—he just crushed a Qi Condensation cultivator!"
Before anyone could process it, Wei Ji flicked his wrist. The vines hurled the Red Sand Sect leader's limp body far across the courtyard, smashing through a stone pillar. He disappeared beyond the walls.
The Red Sand Sect disciples screamed in outrage.
"You bastard!" one of them roared. "You'll pay for that!"
"Kill him!" another shouted, drawing his sword.
They all surged forward, spiritual light gathering around their hands. But just as they were about to strike—something changed.
The air shifted.
Every single one of them froze mid-motion. A suffocating pressure filled the courtyard. It was heavy, dark, and cold. They turned their heads slowly upward.
There, in the sky above them, the body of their leader hung suspended in midair. His arms dangled loosely, head tilted to one side, eyes wide open.
"What… what is that?" one disciple whispered, his voice shaking.
A black mist leaked from the leader's body, twisting and curling like smoke. Then—Boom! His body exploded, spraying blood and dust into the air. The disciples screamed, shielding their faces.
When the smoke cleared, the leader's shredded figure reformed—half-demonic, half-human. His skin was covered in black marks, his eyes blood-red. A chilling roar tore from his throat.
"RRAAAAGHHHH! I'll kill you!"
Wei Ji stood unmoving. His eyes glowed faintly green, calm and cold.
He smirked. "Nah."
A single hand seal. The ground erupted again.
Another massive vine burst from below, slamming into the demonic figure's chest.
Boom!
The impact shook the courtyard.
The vine coiled around the demon tightly and then—pulled.
CRACK!
The body hit the ground so hard the stone tiles shattered like glass. Dust and debris filled the air once more.
Silence followed.
The only sound was the faint crackling of the broken stones beneath the demonic corpse. The once-mighty Qi Condensation cultivator was gone—reduced to lifeless flesh and black blood.
No one spoke. Not a single word.
The disciples of the Han Family could only stare, faces pale, eyes wide.
"He—he killed him…"
"That was a Qi Condensation cultivator! And he just…"
"How could a Fourth Stage Qi Infusion do that?!"
The Red Sand Sect disciples stood frozen. Some were trembling. Some could barely breathe. None dared move.
Wei Ji slowly turned to them, his tone cold but calm. "Before you came here," he said, "did your group visit any strange places?"
The disciples blinked, startled by the question.
Wei Ji's eyes narrowed. "Your leader, the one I killed was not your leader. As you witnessed earlier, that wasn't a righteous Qi he was using."
They exchanged nervous glances. None dared answer.
Wei Ji continued, his tone sharper. "He could still be alive somewhere. If you want to save him, then go."
The disciples hesitated. But when Wei Ji's gaze met theirs, something in his calm eyes made their knees weak. They swallowed hard, then cupped their hands respectfully.
"Many thanks… Senior," one finally said, his voice trembling.
The others quickly followed, bowing deeply. "Many thanks, Senior!"
They addressed him as senior not because of his age—but his strength. To defeat a Qi Condensation cultivator so effortlessly… he couldn't be anything less.
With shaking legs and pale faces, they gathered what remained of their fallen leader and left hurriedly, vanishing into the horizon.
When the courtyard finally grew quiet again, the members of the Han Family turned toward Wei Ji. No one dared speak. Even Han Cui, the family head, stood stiff, eyes darting between the crushed tiles and Wei Ji's calm figure.
Wei Ji's expression didn't change. He brushed the dust from his robe and turned around to leave.
"Wait!" Han Cui called out, stepping forward. "Han Ji! What are you—what just happened?"
Wei Ji stopped and glanced over his shoulder. He snorted at first. Then, opened his mouth. His voice was calm, but it carried across the courtyard clearly.
"From now on," he said, "I am the Han Family Master."
Gasps broke out among the elders.
"If anyone has a problem," Wei Ji continued, "come to me directly. But…" His gaze darkened. "Do not go near my wife."
Han Cui froze.
Wei Ji looked away, eyes distant. It's dangerous, he thought. The less they're near her, the safer they'll be.
Without another word, he stepped forward, walking away from the broken courtyard.
The wind carried the scent of blood and crushed stone. Behind him, the Han Family remained silent, unsure whether to bow… or kneel.
Wei Ji didn't look back.
He just smirked faintly as he disappeared down the long corridor.